Lydia Parnes
Lydia Parnes is a partner in the Washington, DC, office of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, where her practice focuses on privacy, data security, online advertising and general advertising and marketing practices.
Parnes advises companies on how to maintain the highest standards for the collection, protection and use of consumer data while pursuing their business interests. She helps clients respond to security breaches, including defending against federal investigations; develop and implement comprehensive privacy compliance programs; and understand the nuances of regulation and self-regulation in the privacy arena.
Before joining the firm, Parnes served as the director of the Bureau of Consumer Protection (BCP) at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), where she oversaw data security enforcement efforts and the development of the FTC's approach to online advertising. She testified on numerous occasions on the benefits of a nationwide data breach law, the risks of legislating in the technology area and the need to assist consumers who become victims of identity theft. In addition, Parnes has extensive experience with the application of consumer-protection principles to the technology market. In 2006, she served as the deputy executive director of the president's Task Force on Identity Theft, coordinating the efforts of 17 federal agencies in developing a national strategic plan to combat identity theft in both the private and public sectors.
Parnes is a member of the American Bar Association; she has served as a vice chair of the ABA Section of Antitrust Law's Consumer Protection Committee and is co-chairing the Section's 2013 Consumer Protection Conference. She sits on the board of directors of the Council of Better Business Bureaus and is a member of the Department of Homeland Security's Data Privacy and Integrity Advisory Committee. In 2010, she was named among the country's top privacy and data security attorneys in Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business. In 2011, she was recognized in Chamber's Global: The World's Leading Lawyers for Business. In 2012, Wilson Sonsini was recognized by Law360 as a top privacy and consumer protection law firm.
Parnes speaks throughout the country on developments in data security and privacy.